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On the other side of the door, she heard the rallying cries of the beaten taking up for themselves for the first time in so long. And she was the one who had gotten them out there. She was glad to be part of the movement and terrified that she would walk a new group of people to their deaths.
She pushed off of the door. She couldn’t let that weigh on her conscience any more than the last rally. It hadn’t turned into a riot because of her. The deaths weren’t hers either.
When she stepped out of the darkened hallway, Dozan Rook waited for her. “Bravo.”
There wasn’t an ounce of jest in his voice. And for a split second, they were back in time. He wasn’t yet a king. She was just a girl, not a symbol. One word of praise from him would have meant the world. She let it fill her then and smiled back at him.
“Thank you for your help in this.”
“Aye, princess,” he said, slipping his hands into his pockets. “You’ll have one more thing to thank me for.”
“Oh?”
Fordham appeared out of the shadows.
“I didn’t kill him when he set foot on my property,” Dozan said.
He looked as formidable as ever. He was wrapped in black silk. Those storm-cloud eyes swirling like a tornado. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight. They’d been on such unsteady ground ever since Geivhrea. She wanted to fling herself into his arms but held herself back at the last moment. “What are you doing here?”
“I helped you escape, and you didn’t think that I’d come find you?”
“What’s happening at the mountain?”
Fordham shrugged. “Lorian is in an uproar. He swore that he would catch you and try you publicly for what you’d done. Helly managed to talk him down. She also kept from showing her pleasure and the fact that you’d gotten away. But she couldn’t hide it from me. She asked me to check on you once things calmed down. I wouldn’t be surprised if Lorian is knocking down these doors soon as well.”
“Let him try,” Dozan boasted.
Fordham shot him a venomous look. “You can’t hold back an assault from the Society.”
“You have no idea what I’m capable of,” Dozan drawled.
“He has a dragon. He is on the council.”
“He has no warrant to search the place.”
“As if he needs it,” Fordham said with a scoff. “This place is a heathen’s den, and Kerrigan is a known quantity here. If he suspects that she’s here, he’ll walk right through the front door with or without permission.”
Dozan eyed the prince up and down, as if he thought this was a fight he could win. “Is that a threat?”
“A promise,” Fordham said. “Which is why we need to move Kerrigan today before he gets a whiff of that.” He pointed to the sounds of the rally outside.
“She stays here. She’s safe with me,” Dozan said.
“You cannot protect her.”
“Enough!” Kerrigan spat at both of them. “I will determine my own fate. All of your posturing is making me sick of you both.”
But neither of them seemed to be listening. It was as if she had completely disappeared and the tension between Fordham and Dozan had finally boiled over. If she didn’t do something, then it would come down to fists. And truly, she didn’t want to see the outcome to that.
“I said, enough!” Kerrigan yelled.
She forced her way between them. Her already-erratic magic answered her call with zeal. She gasped as the energy from her spirit magic welled and shot out of her hands. Both of the boys were thrown across the room. Their backs hit the wall with a thud, and they skidded down the walls to the floor. Neither looked wounded beyond their pride. Both looked shocked by the outburst.
Kerrigan panted as the wave of energy took everything out of her. It had hardly felt like anything, and now, the magic sickness was taking over again. She could feel her vision dimming at the edges already.
“Oh gods,” she whispered.
Her knees hit the ground. Despite what she’d just done, Fordham and Dozan rushed back to her side at once.
“Kerrigan?” Dozan asked.
“Is it happening again?” Fordham said.
She nodded. “Get… Amond.”
Then, she toppled over as her world went black.
Mei pushed her back flat against the war tent. As if she could make herself invisible by force of will. All around her were men and women wearing the black robes of the Society. Commanders in the dragon riders army with pins denotating their rank. The best she could hope for was that no one would notice her.
But she was not that lucky.
Trulian’s gaze shifted to hers so briefly that nearly no one would recognize that it had happened. Master Roan noticed though. He noticed everything.
“Girl.” He snapped his fingers, and Mei jumped.
“Sir,” she said, bowing slightly at the waist.
